Sliding clasp fastener



Oct. 9, 1962 H. CLAUS SLIDING CLASP FASTENER Filed July 28, 1960 //w .s xvrale #4 my CLA V5 W5 5. m A Tr ms/6y United States Patent ()fitice 3,057,030 Patented Oct. 9, 1962 3,057,030 SLIDING CLASP FATENER Harry Claus, Unterpfaffenhofen, near Munich, Germany, assignor to Ries G.m.b.H., Bekleidungsverschlussfabrik,

Unterpfafienhofen, near Munich, Germany Filed July 28, 1960, Ser. No. 45,849

Claims priority, application Germany Aug. 3, 1959 Claims. (Ci. 24-205.13)

The invention relates to a sliding clasp fastener having two tapes carrying interengaging elements consisting of helically wound wires, which are woven one into each tape edge, widened portions of one wire engaging behind corresponding widened portions of the other wire and vice versa. For this purpose it is known to use a wire which has either a flattened cross-section throughout its length or a flattened cross-section only at suitable locations corresponding to those parts of each wire (i.e. the engaging points) which interengage with the other wire.

It is also known to Provide an arrangement wherein the wire does not extend in a helix having a constant pitch, but the parts of the wire adjacent the engaging points extend substantially in a plane perpendicular to the tape edge, while that part of each wire turn which is woven into the tape edge is at an angle such that the pitch from turn to turn is determined primarily by said part.

The sliding clasp fastener according to the invention is characterised by inclined parts of the wire turns which are widened in such a manner that these widened portions touch one another and thus determine the distances between the turns.

The widened portions of the inclined parts of the wire preferably present convexly curved or rounded faces to adjacent wire turns so that the widened portions have point contact with one another.

Such a wire, which preferably consists of thermoplastic material or may be made of metal, thus has twice as many flattened and widened portions as the number of engaging points. It may be woven into the tape edge in a known manner after it has been wound helically or in a similar manner, for example polygonally.

In order that the inclined widened portions of the wire woven into the band edge should touch one another for spacing purposes, they are given a width to correspond to the spacing of the sliding clasp fastener. Consequently the wire has alternately widened portions of different widths, the narrower ones of which form the interengaging elements (or engaging points) while the wider ones are woven into the band edge and act as spacing means.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows, in plan and in cross-section, a part of one form of wire suitable for incorporation into a fastener according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of an alternative form of the wlre;

FIG. 3 shows, in plan and in cross-section, the form of the wire of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an end view showing the wire of FIGS. 2 and 3 wound for incorporation into a fastener tape, the view being taken from that side of the wound wire whereon the interengaging elements or engaging points are disposed;

FIG. 5 shows the same wound wire from the opposite or tape side thereof;

FIG. 6 is a side elevation of the wound wire of FIGS. 4 and 5; and

FIG. 7 is a plan view of the wound Wire taken in the axial direction.

With reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, the starting material may, for example, comprise a wire 1 having an oval crosssection (FIG. 1) or a wire 2 having a circular cross-section (FIGS. 2 and 3), Flattened parts 3 and 4, which form widened portions of the section, are provided on this wire, for example by pressing at suitable intervals, and the said flattened parts 3, 4 alternate and have different widths. As shown in FIGS. 4 to 7, the smaller widened parts 3 constitute interengaging elements or engaging points which project from the respective edge of the fastener tape (omitted from the drawings for the sake of clarity) while the larger widened parts 4 constitute those parts of the wire turns which are to be woven into the tape edge. These larger widened parts are each arranged at an incline and serve to bridge the spaces between the adjacent turns, so that the convexly curved faces of adjacent pairs thereof touch one another with a point contact to determine the distance between the turns, as shown particularly in FIG. 5.

As a result of the weaving in of the wire 1 or 2, when the fastener tape is woven, (said tape being omitted for the sake of clarity) those parts of the coil of wire (i.e. the larger flattened portions 4) which are woven to the tape edge can be inclined, without any difiiculty, under the influence of the warp threads of the tape in sucn manner that such flattened parts 4, in their inclined positions, determine the distances between the turns. With the helical winding of the wire, the flattened portions of the wire formed at the widened parts 3, 4 facilitate bending at these regions so that no circular turns are formed, but the individual turns have, effectively, substantially flat rectangular form, as shown in FIG. 7. The result is a sliding clasp fastener with flat members, as are required, and which do not make articles of clothing bulky.

In comparison with sliding clasp fasteners of the kind in which the widened portions necessary to the mutual engagement are applied only subsequently to winding or other shaping of the wire, the invention offers the advantage that the sliding clasp fastener requires no further treatment after the coil of wire has been woven in.

I claim:

I. A helically wound wire for incorporation into a sliding clasp fastener having, in each turn thereof and at opposite locations of each turn respectively, a small widened portion and a large widened portion, said small widened portions being aligned parallel to the helical axis of the wire windings and being spaced apart to constitute engaging points of said fastener, the larger widened portions being aligned at the opposite side of said windings and abutting one another so as to define the pitch of the turns of the wire.

2. A helically wound wire as set forth in claim 1 wherein said larger widened portions are inclined relative to said helical axis, and said smaller widened portions and the remainder of each said turn are each in a plane perpendicular to said helical axis.

3. A helically wound wire as set forth in claim 2 wherein each said turn is substantially of flattened rectangular shape when viewed in plan.

4. A sliding clasp fastener comprising two helically wound wires, each of said wires having in each turn thereof a small widened portion and a large widened portion, the two parts of each wire turn adjacent the smaller widened portion extending substantially in respective ones of two common planes parallel to the helix axis of the respective helically wound wire, the larger widened portions of each wire being aligned at the side of each winding opposite said small widened portion thereof and being obliquely inclined relative to said axis, the inclined parts of adjacent turns of each wire being widened in such a manner as to touch one another, the smaller widened portions of each wire being aligned parallel to the helical axis of the wire windings and being spaced apart to constitute engaging points of said fastener, the engaging points of one wire being adapted to engage behind the engaging points of the other wire.

5. A sliding clasp fastener as set forth in claim 4, wherein said inclined widened portions of each Wire turn present convexly curved faces to each of the adjacent contact substantially in a point.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Vargha June 14, 1932 Smith Sept. 29, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS France Feb. 11, 1952 Great Britain May 15, 1929 Great Britain May 11, 1955 

